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The Infected
The Infected are the vitiated being of a Human, reshaped into horrific new forms by a recombinant fungal infection. The resulting creatures are highly aggressive, and will attack any uninfected human on sight. The Infected are the main antagonists of the The Last of Us. The sole purpose of the Infected is to acquire more bodies to convert and spread the infection. The origin of the fungus is currently unknown, but the anti-government group, the Fireflies, believe that they can reverse engineer a cure through study of an infected host. The vicious virus has taken hold of the majority of the population, spreading havoc far and wide. Those who are not infected are ordered by martial law to stay within a Quarantine Zone. The government has taken various measure to ensure the survival of the human race; bombing areas outside the Quarantine Zone to withhold the infected and executing anyone suspected of infection on sight. Biology Infection The humans that have been exposed to a mutated strain of Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis, the virus attacks the brain and beings to alter the behavior of its hosts. The host will then go through four different stages of infection; Runner, Stalker, Clicker and Bloater, each stage deadlier than the last. The infection is also spread directly through contact with an Infected or via their spore cadaver - that is, the infectious bacterium created by the Cordyceps and released from the host's body upon death. Spore development is be last stage in the life cycle of the infected. This lifeless carcass serves as a breeding ground for the fungus to spread throughout the environment. When an infected feels it is close to death, it will find dark, moist corner to die in. While this may be the end of the line for the host, the fungus will live on. The Last of Us game team has stated that the people in the quarantine zones are relatively safe because in places with significant airflow, the spore concentration cannot build up, which is why the only places with significant spore toxicity tend to be underground or abandoned buildings. In order for the virus to infect a host body, the host must first be alive, dead victims who come into contact with the infection do not undergo transformation. Physical appearance As said in the previous section, the Infected humans have since undergone a strange mutation by a specialized strain of cordyceps. Over time, growths protrude out of the orifices of the human hosts and it changes their physical appearance. Their teeth are horribly rotten and jagged. The fungus on Clickers and Bloaters is bio-luminescent. At later stages, their body begins to bulge, and more fungi growths can be seen on their skin. When the host is killed or dies from advanced fungal growth the fungus continues to grow throughout the body; emitting spores. Behavior Upon becoming Infected, the victims eventually lose any ability to think and begin to behave irrationally as the fungus spreads in the brain. Relying on instincts, the Infected will attempt to throttle any human they find. As the fungus grows, it gradually makes the host blind. They then develop echolocation to locate prey, which results in them making a distinctive clicking sound. After some time, the fungus will kill the host if too damaged, usually in a closed-off space so the fungus can spread further. The Infected, while having a higher pain tolerance than ordinary humans, still have a vulnerability to injury. A Runner, when not attacking survivors, will moan in pain due to the fungal growth deforming its body. Clickers will occasionally struggle while being shivved, showing extreme sensory awareness. Sometimes the ones that still have their entire faces intact look sad or worried as they attack others. This may indicate that first and second stage infected are aware of what they are doing, but they can't control themselves. Gunshots are capable of startling an infected individual, so it's likely they feel fear just as any ordinary person would. However, since their humanity is completely destroyed by stage three, their feelings of fear completely vanish. Stages of infection Runners Runners are the first stage of the Infected who have recently entered their transformation. Since the eyes are first targeted by the fungus, runners have poor eyesight, but maintain many human instincts. For example, their moans are still human, just like their overall appearance. However, a way to tell them apart from normal survivors is their lambent red eyes. Their body language is sluggish while they are passive and makes it seem as if they are trying to resist the fungus. Sometimes they do not attack at all, even when right in front of them. These non-aggressive runners will only attack if attacked first or when an object is thrown at or near them, thus losing control. This is described to be like a "sneeze" like the developers say in a demo, where the host will find it hard to control when a sneeze will occur at any moment and when you are about to sneeze, it is hard to stop from letting the sneeze go through. Runners are confirmed to be able to attack in packs flailing their arms trying to trample the survivor. http://www.shacknews.com/article/77676/the-stages-of-infection-in-the-last-of-us Like survivors, they can be strangled when grabbed from behind by Joel. Stalkers Stalkers are the second stage of the Infected. They have the vision and speed of Runners. They are hybrids of Clickers and Runners. The most notable trait that defines the "Stalkers" is the beginning of fungal growths on the head and face, the development of pseudo echolocation, and their discretion when chasing a victim - they will strafe and take cover, eventually closing in on the victim, hence the name "stalker".http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=00y3QRovboA Stage 2 may take place anywhere between a few days after the start of the infection (Stage 1) and up to a year (Stage 3).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA2cuwYSIqs Their strength is equal to a fit human being as their attacks can interrupt actions made by the player. Stalkers are the fastest of the infected to spot a survivor as they will spot them usually before a runner will even have a chance to. According to the Stages of Infection collectible found in The Last of Us demo released with God of War: Ascension on May 31, the modus operandi of a stalker is to "hide and ambush victims." The collectible goes on, imploring readers to check their surroundings, but no other information is provided.Demo. The Last Of Us. May 31, 2013. They can however be shivved and stangled like runners, and there is a tag worth 100 in game currency called 'The Hunter Becomes the Hunted' for stealth killing a stalker from behind for the first time. Stalkers are very rare as they are encountered only twice in the entire game. Their "clicking" may however be heard in the distance in various other areas, but it only serves as ambiance. Clickers Clickers are the third and most well known stage of the Infected. They have had prolonged exposure to the fungus, and, by this stage, the infected possess strength that significantly surpasses the average human, making them deadlier, but at the price of being completely blind; due to fungal infected overtaking their face. However, Clickers are able to maneuver through areas by utilizing echolocation, which produces noticeable clicking noises to locate prey and sounds, much like bats but in a far more crude version, not able to locate prey unless right in front of them. due to the prolonged exposure from fungus in its face. However, Clickers appear less human than Runners, with faces that are skewed and scarred by fungus developed from their infected brains. Clickers are dangerous and much more aggressive than Runners, but no longer resist the fungus because their humanity has been diminished. When provoked, a Clicker will immediately enter into a "berserk mode," aggressively flailing its arms. At this point, if a survivor has been "spotted" by a Clicker, the Clicker will attack head on and will not flinch when shot if not using high powered rounds. If the player is grappled without a shiv, Clickers will bite and rip Joel's neck, instantly killing the player. It is possible to avoid or distract Clickers instead of fighting them directly, by using bottles or bricks. Boxing a Clicker with bare hands is ineffective and reckless as after three punches Joel will not have time to back away and will be instantly grappled by the clicker if it wasn't beaten to death; use a melee weapon if you choose this form of attack. Clickers can be taken out by sleat Clickers can be sneaking up behind them and using a shiv, in which Joel will drive it into the Clickers skull, or by using the Bow & Arrow. It is fairly easy to outrun a Clicker as their crude echolocation has a short range and they only walk quickly to their destination. When far enough or behind cover, the Clicker will get confused and click in all directions. In the launch trailer for the game shown at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, Clickers have the ability to run as fast as Runners. This ability, however, was removed from the final game. Bloaters Bloaters are the fourth and final stage of the Infected and immensely strong. Bloaters take the longest to develop, making them the rarest of the infected. They are covered in thick fungus that effectively doubles as plate armor. Due to this protective covering, they can withstand multiple hits from weapons such as the Shotgun and Hunting Rifle, and even hatchets and machetes making them extremely tough to eliminate. Bloaters are extremely aggressive, but are rather slow-moving causing them to be more predictable than other infected. Like Clickers, Bloaters 'see' using echolocation to locate and trap a survivor as the fungus has completely deformed their face and blinded them, however their echolocation is a lot cruder than the clickers. If a Bloater were to grab a survivor, it is capable of forcefully ripping their jaw apart through brute strength; there is no way to defend yourself if grabbed like you can with a Clicker, so use extreme caution when fighting one. Bloaters will throw balls of spores from their own body as a weapon, which disperse on impact, making a cloud of spores. These will eventually damage the health of anyone in the immediate area, even if they are wearing a gas mask. Their spores are not infectious, however. But this may just be for gameplay purposes, it is unknown if it is infectious in the canon story. Bloaters, like all Infected, have a weakness to fire which is one of their few weaknesses. When set ablaze a Bloater will wildly thrash around trying to put out the flames as if in pain while other projectiles barely make it flinch. After being on fire, they will be charred black and smoking. Their armor will also be charred brittle, making them vulnerable to low-powered weapons, like 9mm. Despite this, fire-based weapons such as Flamethrowers or Molotov cocktails require multiple uses before killing a bloater. Their other less effective weakness if fire is inaccessible is armor piercing rounds from an upgraded weapon like the hunting rifle. It will take fewer shots to kill if the weapon has the Power and Armor-piercing upgrade. Bloaters are found in the five following locations: * 1 in the gym of the High School in Lincoln. (Must be fought) * 1 in the basement of the Hotel Grand in Pittsburgh. (Can be avoided) * 1 in the dormitories in the UEC. (Can be avoided) * 1 in the mill during winter. (Must be fought) * 3 in the underground tunnel in Salt Lake City. (All can be avoided) Strategy Trivia * It seems the Infected rest standing up. They do not click or attack even when you are in front of them unless provoked while resting. * From the concept art it is quite clear that the fungus is able to rip through bone. * Runners don't moan as much nor the same way as in previous beta demos as if in horrific pain but remain silent for the most part. However, they will screech when startled. This may have been done so players may have a higher chance of running into one. * Despite Clickers using echolocation, their echolocation is very crude compared to creatures like bats where they will not notice that something is alive or moving unless it is directly in front of them. This supports the theory of being where the clicks come out, as it is shaped like a megaphone, directing it straight ahead of them, but not all around. * Even though objects can be thrown to distract Infected, it is not advised unless absolutely necessary as doing so will alter their scripted paths and allow them to travel to all areas of the map, making their behavior more unpredictable, making the chances of death higher. If necessary, it is advised to have a steady flow of items to throw to keep them searching in a specific area and not scatter everywhere. * Some of the concept art in ''The Art of The Last of Us ''shows Runners wielding tools such as shovels and rakes. This indicates that at one point in development, humans in the early stages of infection would possess enough of an intelligence to use tools as weapons against Joel. As this concept was not used in the actual game, there is no way of telling if the in-universe Runners and Stalkers were still capable of such actions. However, since their hands are still intact and can be used to hold their victims to bite them, this may point towards intelligence. * Early concept art for the infected showed them with an almost alien appearance, with insect like claws and glowing eyes, but the developers choose to maintain a human resemblance so it would make them feel more unnerving. * The Infected do not react to having your flashlight on, even Runners. * Seeing as how the concept art shows a hole in the middle of the Clicker's heads, this may mean that the eyes of the former human could come out of it in an unknown 5th stage of the infection. However, that is very unlikely, so it may also be a sort of mouth where the clicks come out (some in-game Clickers do not have this hole) or an ear that hears the clicks. It could also be to launch possibly infectious spores, like a cannon. * A Clicker appears near the end of Playstation's Greatness Awaits trailer. * In the High school Laboratories there is an X-ray of an an Infected (possibly a Stalker) that shows that the fungal growth on the head is actually the infected brain simply growing out. Gallery Stills Joel about to get eaten by an infected.jpg|A Clicker trying to bite Joel. the infected's face.jpg|A close-up of a Clicker TheLastOfUsScreen3.jpg The Last of Us Screenshot #13.jpg|Joel fighting likely a Stalker. Infected Final Stage.jpg 8451038679_4995ba4768_o.png 8451038133_0f0d7aafe5_b.jpg 8451038631_c1df8cb480_o.png My ex wife.jpg Tlos-clicker-bite-640 r640x400.jpg Joel strangling a clicker.jpg American History X.jpg Joel Punch.jpg Punching a runner.jpg Too many clickers.jpg Concept art The-Last-of-Us.jpg|Female Stalker concept 575452 415272161896049 2030719332 n.jpg|Concept art of the commonly seen female Clicker 529285 415272225229376 750015535 n.jpg|Infected concept art 285371_415272195229379_807250191_n.jpg|Infected concept art #2 529783 415272311896034 322966177 n.jpg|Clicker Concept Art #2 The-Last-of-Us-Infected.jpg|Clicker model Bloater concept.png|Bloater concept art Videos Infected Death Scenes|Death scenes featuring each stage of infected References de:Die_Infizierten